Update: finally finished filling out reconsideration. It’s taken so long and has been making me really anxious. When I got the report from my assessment it seemed to hinge on a paragraph she had copied and pasted for each section stating I had no significant input for pain and mental health. I have provided evidence as to why this is not true - reports from appointments with Clinical Psychologist, report from MSK practitioner, referral to chronic pain medication consultant, referral to chronic pain physiotherapist and referral to chronic pain programme. I also addressed each point on the report. Have I just wasted two weeks of my life or do I have any chance? I honestly don’t know if I can go through the stress of an appeal. I’m having a fibro flare because of this and feel like I need to increase my ADs again. It’s awful.
I’m so anxious and annoyed about this. I had an online interview that lasted 1 1/2 hours! She asked in several different ways if I could prepare a meal. I said no to all her scenarios. My partner does all the cooking, even makes my breakfast. The form I’ve received says that I CAN cook a simple meal. It also says I go shopping and do light housework. I definitely said my partner does all the shopping and housework. It also said I have no problems with mobility or driving. I haven’t driven for at least a year and if I need to attend an appointment my partner always takes me. How could the assessor outright lie and misrepresent my answers like this? I put a lot of detail on my form too.
I need some advice. Can I ask for a copy of her report? How do I do this? My partner was with me during the interview and I think he recorded it on his phone so I should be able to check if her report is false. It’s not right that people are put through this. I was clearly in pain throughout the interview.
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Brigga
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Hi - I'm sorry you didn't get any points with your PIP decision. You can ask for a copy of the assessor's report, but it really isn't as helpful as you might think. You can ring the PIP enquiry line (0800 121 4433) to get this, but your decision letter is often based on the assessor's report, & really their report is best put behind you.
If you wish to challenge this, then the next stage is a Mandatory Reconsideration where another decision maker will look at everything again. This is best put in writing explaining exactly why you struggle with any applicable activity/descriptor. Saying your partner does all the cooking, for example, doesn't give an indication of exactly why you can't prepare a simple meal, nor even microwave one.
Assessors don't lie, which is not to say they don't often get things wrong, & their often used 'cut & paste' responses cause more than enough hurt & anxiety. However remember they're there to form an opinion based on your claim form & assessment, not just write down what you've said, so sometimes there are unfortunately gaps in what you hoped to convey.
Please with your written Mandatory Reconsideration give a couple of recent, detailed examples as to the difficulty you face for each applicable descriptor, i.e. when did it happen, where, what exactly happened, why, did your partner or anyone else see this, & were there any consequences to attempting/doing an activity?
Say if you can't do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat as often as one would reasonably expect, or if it takes you much longer than someone without a disability. See this mentioned at the end of the first link below.
Ensure you put your name & National Insurance number on each page. Keep a copy, & get a free Certificate of Posting from your Post Office when sending it off.
Thanks but I did explain in great detail about why I couldn’t do these things. For example, she asked if I could chop vegetables, and I said I couldn’t because of the pain in my hands, shoulders and neck. Some days I can barely move from back pain and can’t walk more than a few steps. I’m a person who was previously very active, worked full time and did lots of voluntary work. Everything that made life worthwhile has been taken from me because of this illness. It’s devastating.
I have the same happen to me 0 points and my report had so my lie in that I didn’t say. I find it disgusting that they can do such a thing. I’ve just been give a blue badge on the advice from the pop interview yet she said in the report I had no mobility issue. I’m appealing.
Hi, the same thing happened to me with my very first f2f interview for PIP. I was given zero point so I asked for the report which was very different to what I said. My husband who attended the interview was fuming.
I submitted an MR along with a letter from my husband oulining the interview, the report and what had actually been said. Within a few weeks Ireceived a letter from the DWP and was given10 points. This was down to all the medical evidence I submitted previously, the chronic pain I am in and how the pain stops me from doing things for myself..
However, I appealed again as they did not take into account the monitoring of my diabetes and the tools I use. I did not attend the tribunal as I had fallen a few days ago and cracked my ribs. The tribunal went ahead and they agreed and gave me an extra two points in order for me to receive enhanced daily living.
I don't often comment much on this site as most days I'm just not up to it. But today the sun is shining and it cheers me up.
thanks for your replies. I’m going to phone for the report. As I said, everything that made life worthwhile has been taken from me by this illness. I’m so upset that I feel that I’ve been made to feel like a liar after everything.
happened to me to 0points request copy of report, I made myself a copy to keep, used highlighting pen and wrote in side column why I disagreed, this was the only method I could cope with replying at the time, I had to ask for extra time completing MR. form as some days I just could not face looking at form( fatigue brainfog pain,) others couldn't hold pen due to pain in hands , I sometimes only managed one page a day, which is what I aimed for, My Husband enclosed a letter of is view/daily observation of how my symptoms affected my day, this was returned with form (send tracked delivery as DWP sometimes say form lost in post) after a few weeks more I got accepted for daily living component, we are made to feel like fakes both DWP, and some medical professionals, be strong don't give up, wishing you luck strength to carry on and a low pain day 🦋💜🫂
Thanks for your reply. I’ve had to take a couple of days off from thinking about it. Even now my heart starts pounding just reading the replies. And apparently I have no anxiety issues.
So sorry to read this. Its utterly callous! Had you thought that this same letter could be sent to your MP? It reads so well and tells very clearly how it is. - Your partner sounds great by the way. - Don't spend energy to reply. May you be blessed finally, with justice.🌺
Sorry too read this and not the 1st time here on the forum, I am glad you have had a helpful replies from other members , I wish you the best in going forward x
I’m sorry to hear you’ve had this experience. Literally had the complete opposite they were really helpful, and I was rewarded my PIP literally two weeks from my assessment.
Ask for a copy of the report and follow it up with a request in writing, sending it in a way that they cannot deny receipt (I suggest Special Delivery) Costly but worth the hassle.
hello, I have said this so many times please request a copy of your assessment report a week or so after your assessment. On receiving it you can see what your award will be but having your report you have several extra weeks to prepare for an MR once you have received the official award notification letter. You can go through each descriptor and see where or why you were awarded the points and reasons the accessor put. For example preparing food. The accessor stated I am able to prepare a simple meal. Whereas I my application form I stated my husband does all the cooking as the pain in my hands unable to hold a knives due to pain in arms. Giving the reason why your award should be 2 or 3 points not 0 as the accessor had put.
My advice is to try and detach yourself emotionally from both your original application and the compulsory appeal. If you don’t, you will go through a very disturbing process both physically and mentally, as I did. I’d been told so many times, even by my doctor that it is a box ticking exercise. I firmly believe they do not even look at your forms. On both occasions mine came back with zero points for everything. Their report had no relevance to my answers whatsoever. Even though I filled out the compulsory appeal form, I was focused on the final appeal . I received a call prior to my court hearing saying they had accepted me for both for a ten year period. Had I not been struggling, I would have continued with the appeal and not settled for the basic payment. The experience was harrowing and from the result, it was obvious they hadn’t looked at my forms. It’s mind boggling to think they can get away with this kind of behaviour, but they do. Concentrate on your final appeal and go for it. Forget the telephone conversations. They don’t listen and don’t relay your feelings, or answers truthfully. They’re robots of the most despicable kind. Appeal!
Basically it sounds as if the assessor did not believe what you had written on the form or what you told her. You can now go for a Mandatory Reconsideration and if that does not succeed, an Appeal. You must get a copy of the assessor's report. It will contain far more information than the DWP letter about the report. You then need to prepare your case and submit it in writing to DWP. For each area where you think you should have scored points, you will need to refer to the form you filled in, to what you said in the assessment, and if you can, back it up with other written evidence and recent examples of how you are affected. This could be from your GP records, or letters from Consultants to your GP. You have the right to request copies of all of these records. If you have a blue badge, that is evidence too. So is the report produced for ESA or the Universal Credit equivalent.
Remember they are really not interested in what medical conditions you have, only in how they affect you. They have guidance on the range of impact any condition is likely to have and tend to discount those descriptions that fall outside the usual parameters. That's why it's so important to have extra evidence to support what you write and say. One person I know got 6 of her friends to write in and say how they helped her when she went to a pool. Her points for mobility were raised from 0 to 12.
This process is so exhausting. I’ve been working on my reconsideration request all week. I got the assessor’s report and she even seems to contradict herself at times. Lots of comments on how I looked to her - I didn’t look tired or in pain or anxious even though I was most definitely all those things. I can’t get out of bed today. Having a flare because of the stress. I’m supposed to be looking after myself as I have a surgery next week. I wish I never started this claim. It’s caused my so much anxiety.
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